MotoGP was, for many years, a place where the word safety was at the center whether it was not true or a half-truth. But for some time now the situation seems, at least from the outside, much more relaxed. Although reading the words of Enea Bastianini gives the impression that this is not exactly the case.
Enea has spoken with GPOne colleagues and has exposed the problems and possible situations to a reality that is often not wanted to be seen. In fact, Bastianini himself considers that the drivers themselves are the ones who can do something about it even though he has stopped going to the Safety Commission, which every Thursday of the GP reviews the critical points of the routes and how to solve them in addition to other issues.
And, as he acknowledges, they have the feeling that things do not change. A clear example is Balaton Park, where last year Bastianini crashed and only good luck prevented a disaster that we faced again in the WSBK: “I expected a different Balaton Park this year, but everything will be the same. What happened to me last year was extremely dangerous, that is not a variant for MotoGP. We should talk, but it is up to us riders to do something, we are the only ones who can change something. I know that what I do is wrong, not going to the Safety Commission, but there is a bit of nervousness because we had asked for changes and they were not made.”
Bastianini considers that a representative of the pilots is necessary
There is no doubt that finding a balance in security is always complicated, because in the end there are many interests at stake, sometimes economic, sometimes for practical or historical reasons… but it recognizes that there are changes that are only carried out when something happens. The clear example, although Enea Bastianini does not comment on it, is that of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
This whole situation makes Enea once again raise something that was about to happen and that, in fact, in current F1 there is and is a representative of the drivers. In the top car competition this is the President of the Drivers’ Association, who is normally a former driver who is in charge of mediating and who can dedicate time to these tasks. Bastianini proposes the same thing: “It must be started again because we need someone to protect us and speak in our place, we have a thousand commitments. It should not be an active driver, because it is a complicated task and there would be a conflict of interest. It should be a person outside the grid, in my opinion there are many competent people who could do it.”
What is evident is that if MotoGP opts for urban or semi-urban circuits as the latest movements are suggesting, that association will be important for safety. And if they, who are the ones who are really risking their lives, do nothing, it will be difficult for things to improve.
